Art Tatum, Ben Webster - The Album (Remastered + Bonus Tracks)

Styles: Piano And Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1956/2010
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 64:42
Size: 150,4 MB
Art: Front

(7:12) 1. All the Things You Are
(4:45) 2. Gone with The Wind
(4:46) 3. Have You Met Miss Jones?
(5:27) 4. Night and Day
(6:24) 5. Where or When
(7:14) 6. My Ideal
(6:15) 7. My One and Only Love
(6:04) 8. All The Things You Are
(3:04) 9. Gone with The Wind
(4:51) 10. Have You Met Miss Jones?
(3:17) 11. Night and Day
(5:17) 12. Where or When

The only album-length collaboration between pianist Art Tatum and tenor saxophonist Ben Webster (accompanied by a rhythm section of Red Callender, bass, and Bill Douglass, drums) was this September 11, 1956, session under the auspices of Norman Granz's Verve Records label. (It was also Tatum's last recording session before his death.) Granz probably suggested the repertoire of standards by the likes of Kern and Hammerstein, Rodgers & Hart, and Cole Porter, but the melodies, of course, only provide a framework. On each track, Tatum leads things off, with Callender and Douglass coming in discreetly (and low in the mix). Then, at a certain point, Webster appears in the foreground, playing comparatively few notes and sticking much more to the melody than his partner. This is a good approach, since Tatum never subsides to simple comping; he just keeps soloing away under Webster's rich tenor tones until Webster stops playing, and then keeps on to the end. So, although this is billed as a group effort, it's not a group of equals or really one in which the players are cooperating with each other. Tatum might as well be playing solo, since he takes very little account of what's happening around him. Granz makes it work by varying the volume of the different instruments in the mix, and the result is a fascinating study in contrasts.
~ William Ruhlmann https://www.allmusic.com/album/art-tatum-ben-webster-quartet-mw0000660477

Personnel: Art Tatum (p), Ben Webster (ts), Red Callender (b), Bill Douglass (d)

The Album

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Tommy Flanagan - In His Own Sweet Time

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2020
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 53:01
Size: 122,5 MB
Art: Front

(6:20) 1. Smooth as the Wind
(6:53) 2. If You Could See Me Now
(5:25) 3. Untired Blues
(4:37) 4. Some Other Spring
(4:46) 5. How Long Has This Been Going On
(4:23) 6. Who Can I Turn To
(4:37) 7. Just Squeeze Me
(5:04) 8. Daydream
(5:06) 9. Valse Hot
(5:46) 10. Goodbye

With a name revered in the jazz world but almost totally unrecognised elsewhere, Tommy Flanagan, who died in 2001 aged 71, was the complete pianist. In the late 50s he played on John Coltrane’s Giant Steps and Sonny Rollins’s Saxophone Colossus, followed by years as accompanist to Ella Fitzgerald and Tony Bennett. It wasn’t just that he was reliable; Flanagan made even the very best sound better. When, finally, he emerged as a leader in his own right, the full extent of his brilliance became clear. He was much admired for his touch, a quality difficult to define but easy to recognise.

It’s certainly in full bloom on this 1994 live album, one of his few completely solo recordings (although not his only one, as the notes here imply). This is its first release. The 10 tracks, all slow-to-moderate in tempo, include such rare delights as Tadd Dameron’s If You Could See Me Now and Billy Strayhorn’s Day Dream. Flanagan takes his time, as the album title suggests, but every movement is so purposeful, every phrase so judiciously rounded, that you can almost hear the audience holding its collective breath.~ Dave Gelly https://www.msn.com/en-gb/entertainment/music/tommy-flanagan-in-his-own-sweet-time-review-%E2%80%93-a-masterly-touch/ar-BB1ejvx6

Personnel: Piano – Tommy Flanagan

In His Own Sweet Time

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